When a wireless service subscriber purchases a new wireless communication device, such as a wireless telephone, the subscriber typically goes through a service activation process to activate the subscriber's wireless service on the new device. This service activation process is traditionally performed at a wireless service provider's retail location, such as the retail location where the new wireless device is purchased, with the aid of trained personnel who may be employed by the wireless service provider.
As an alternative, various types of subscriber self-activation approaches have been proposed. In these approaches, a wireless service subscriber may activate and configure a desired wireless communication service on a new wireless communication device on his or her own. In one such approach, a subscriber may activate a wireless communication service on a new wireless device by having the wireless device communicate with an activation system of the wireless service provider, for example, using an over-the-air (OTA) activation process. During the OTA activation process, the subscriber may enter information into the wireless device, and the wireless device may communicate this information to the wireless service provider's activation system. The wireless service provider may then use this information to create a service profile for the wireless communication service. For example, during the OTA activation process, the subscriber may be prompted to enter the subscriber's name and address, as well as the specifics of the desired wireless communication service (such as the type of service plan or the features to be included in the wireless communication service). When the OTA activation process is successfully completed, the new wireless device may then be able to the use the wireless communication service under the subscriber's service profile.
In addition to self-activation, a wireless communication device may be able to engage in other types of device management functions. For example, the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) includes a Device Management (DM) Working Group that has issued various DM specifications for managing wireless communication devices. The OMA DM specifications support such device management functions as device provisioning (such as initial activation of wireless service and enabling or disabling features), device configuration (such as changing settings or parameters on the device), software upgrades (such as obtaining upgrades for existing software or obtaining software for new applications), and fault management (such as reporting errors from the wireless device).